


Glissando

by silverNebulae



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Music Store, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, possible angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-20
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-15 13:07:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/849907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverNebulae/pseuds/silverNebulae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Steve have been visiting the same music store for years now. Each living their lives without the knowledge of each other's existence or at least no more than a glance. Cue a revamp of more than just the store. [AXED]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Don't Scratch The Vinyl

**Author's Note:**

> Woops now I'm writing two stories at once :P I'm sorry. I hope you enjoy regardless :) Quick thanks to crazyk-c who finally got me writing this idea which had been sitting at the back of my mind gaining dust.

At this time on a weekday, the music store was usually pretty empty. Steve actually liked it quiet, it meant he could browse without having to be bothered or overhear some really weird story (usually about some guy getting his fix). It pained him that they talk about women like that, he felt they should be treated with more respect. He was a gentleman so it wasn't surprising he felt this way, some of his friends would sometimes say he was 'born in the wrong era'. Oh, he felt it at times.

He entered the store, warm summer air sweeping in behind him. The store's air con was on as always and cooled him off as he made his way toward his favourite section. All the eras were lined up in columns along the farthest left wall, from the 40s up to the 00s. Steve was a massive fan of 50s music and always brought whatever new album of collections he could find. He loved the way all the instruments came together in a harmony of, what sounded like, pure bliss. He didn't really enjoy the modern pop hits and what was always in the charts. It seemed to be the same artists every week too.

"Hey Steve" One of the workers, Bucky, greeted.

"Hi Bucky" Steve smiled as he walked by. 

"We've got some new stock in. You should be happy" He smiled back, still stacking some CDs in the classical section as he spoke.

"Oh great" Steve walked a little faster toward the 50s racks with a sweet smile on his face.

Bucky was right, there were at least 2 new albums from his favourite record company that made these collections. He instantly picked them up and viewed some of the song titles, seeing which ones he had from which ones he didn't. 

Across the other side of the store, a young dark-haired man was also examining album backs. Tony came to Shield the Vinyl music store whenever he either; needed a change of band or wanted some new material to work with. Sometimes he came in when he was just bored and wanted to get out. Whatever the reason, the constant was his genre choice. It was always the classic rock he came to and left with. Today he was after another album by AC/DC, one of his had gone missing. His fingers glided along the various titles, until he found the one he was looking for. There were only two copies, lucky!

He headed to the counter, taking his wallet out his pocket, ready. There was a tall blond guy in front of him also waiting. The blond heard Tony join the cue and quickly glanced behind him unconsciously, allowing Tony a glimpse at his face. Quite attractive now he thought about it, nice light eyes. The blond moved forward toward the till and Tony couldn't resist his eyes from glancing down his back and checking out his--.

"STARK? ARE YOU DEAF?" A voice called out, cutting his thoughts short.

Bucky was standing with his arms crossed at an open till, obviously trying to get Tony's attention before. 

"No, I'm hearing just fine thank you" Tony mockingly rubbed his ear as he went over to Bucky's till.

"Well maybe you should pay more attention rather than running through your usual dream land" Bucky frowned. 

"Yeah yeah, sure" Tony sighed. 

"See you Bucky" a voice spoke from next to him. 

It was the blond heading away from the till and out the store. He knows Bucky? Figures.

"See you Steve" Bucky responded, still serving Tony, "Oh hey! I forgot to let you know, store's going to be closed after tomorrow for a revamp. Manager's bought the store next door and they're merging them together to make a bigger one. It'll be closed for a while but I'll let you know when we're back again". 

"Oh really? Woah, okay. Just let me know" Steve nodded, waving goodbye and walking out.

"Revamp hm?" Tony mumbled.

"Yeah, guess you won't be able to get your mitts on Black Sabbath for a while" Bucky smirked.

"I'm sure my large collection will keep my days from looking so bleak" Tony joked, taking the bag from the countertop and walking out into the haze that was the afternoon.


	2. Revamped

"Without further ado, I reopen Shield the Vinyl" The Manager, Nick announced as he cut the ribbon in front of the brand new double doors.

Customers flooded in, filling the newly revamped music store with happy chatter and clicking of CD cases. Steve entered with a small excitement in his stomach, he was excited to see what changes the store had undergone. It was much bigger now it had merged with next door and there were plenty more things on sale now, more than just CDs. The store had released some special offers to encourage custom on the first day and Steve was determined to take advantage of them. He looked toward where he would usually visit for his music, but it wasn't there anymore. All he saw where DVDs.

"Wha?" Steve mumbled. So where were the vintage sections?

He looked around for a worker but there were so many people here, it was hard to find one who was free. 

"Hey buddy, glad you could make it" A voice greeted, clutching his shoulder.

Steve turned to see his friend Bucky, in his usual uniform but with an ID lanyard this time.

"New?" Steve smiled, picking it up and having a quick look. 

"Yep. Workers have to wear them now" Bucky shrugged, "You okay? You look a little lost. Been getting some unwanted female attention?".

"Funny" Steve spoke in a monotone.

Bucky just smirked.

"No, I'm just looking for my usual interest but looks like it's been moved" Steve pointed to show him where he was looking.

"Oh right, that's in the middle now. Come on, I'll show you" Bucky signalled him to follow.

They weaved through the exploring crowd until they reached an almost center point of the store. There were 3 lines of racks, all filled with plenty to browse through. 

"Here ya go Stevo. The usual" Bucky presented. 

"Ah, thanks Bucky" Steve nodded, going up to look at any new stock.

"No problem. If you need help you know who to call" He saluted him as he began to walk away backwards.

"I'm sure I can handle looking at the titles" Steve grinned.

"If you're positive" Bucky grinned back.

Steve shooked his head with a smile as he turned back toward the CDs, "Jerk".

It had been months since Steve was able to get any new music, he was sure there had to be fresh titles for him by now. After browsing various cases, he decided on 3 and tried to work out which way the tills were. He turned a sharp corner and bumped hard into someone, causing him to drop the CDs. 

"Aw crap, sorry" The person said and crouched down to help him.

Tony picked up one of the cases and read the front, "Dreamboats and Petticoats Volume 3?".

Steve retrieved the other two from the floor and looked up at the dark-haired guy holding his CD. His cheeks flushed a light pink, he didn't really like to share his music interests with random strangers, especially young ones. They just...didn't get it.

"Yes, thanks for picking it up. Can I have it back?" Steve mumbled a little quickly.

"Oh sure" Tony shrugged, handing the case over.

Steve took it and replaced it back in the small pile between his hands.

"You're into the old-time stuff? That's unusual, aren't you like 18?" Tony chuckled, noticing just how young the blond looked. 

It was surprising he even remembered him, he wasn't all that good with faces. What was his name again...Rick? Chris? Sam? No, none of those.

"Yes, I am and maybe I'm just not like everyone else" Steve informed, though it sounded like more of a snap. 

He paced away quickly while Tony looked on surprised. He didn't mean to offend the guy, heck he just helped him. Why was he getting so defensive?

"And I'm 22!" Steve called back, walking out of sight past the people. 

"Woops" Tony whispered to himself, leaving the scene with his own CD. 

He waited for Steve to cue up and leave before paying for his own since he didn't want to upset him further. What was this feeling? Did he feel kind of...bad? But why? He didn't do anything wrong? Well that's unusual. Why did this guy matter so much, what was it about him? Was it worth finding out?


	3. Patchwork

The lyrics of the classic Scorpions song bounced around the walls of Tony's bedroom as he lay on the silk plum sheets of his bed. He was tapping his foot, hands behind his head, but was only half-listening to the song. He couldn't shake the feeling he'd felt at the music store last week. It irritated him that he couldn't work out why. He was a genius...mostly, so why were social riddles so...testing?

_Here I am  
Rock you like a hurricane_

"Yeah, no shit it did" Tony mumbled. Giving up, he headed down to his small lab in the garage. It had been his father's just like the small house before the company got big and they moved. Howard Stark had been generous enough to let Tony live in the old house when he was old enough. Since then he'd been allowing Tony a certain amount of money every month, maybe a bit extra if he fell into an emergency. This gave Tony plenty of time to do what he was best at, invent. Sometimes he would give some to his father as a subtle thank you and to pay his way, but never the best ones. Oh no, they were for him. Everyone was expecting Tony to take up the company after his father was gone, but the young Stark couldn't help feeling like Howard didn't want him to. There wasn't a very strong bond between the two, no affection. His mother was the one to love him.

The song playing through the house speakers changed and Tony gave out a small mocking sigh, "Oh AC/DC you're always there when I need you".

His favourite band played in thank you and the lyrics rang out in the lab powerfully.

_Push your foot to the floor  
Don't need no more_

Tony found himself putting a bit more enthusiasm in the job. Working a bit harder, the music giving him a motivational edge.

_Gimme that thing and feed your war  
War Machine_

The Stark doesn't even realise how much he'd gotten into the work until the song faded out. He looked up, the room silent for a moment. Without the aid of distraction, his frustration came all the way back. Tony grit his teeth and flung his goggles off. He headed back upstairs to the kitchen, poured a small cup of coffee and drank it down in one. The warmth trickled down his throat and warmed his chest as numerous things ran through his mind. None of them, however, pointed him to any kind of solution. He decided all he could do, was apologize. Why he had to in the first place was unknown to him but there must be _something_ about the guy that wouldn't leave him alone. Wait...could it...no surely not, he'd only just met him and knew nothing about him. Should Tony go to the store and see if he's there? It couldn't hurt... and the sooner it was over, the better. 

 

The automatic double doors opened up and allowed Tony access into the store. He looked around, quite a few people. His eyes went straight to the middle of the store as he made his way over. Tony remembered the CD that started the whole thing and realised the guy must have just come the vintage section. He looked around, trying to see if he could see any blond locks lingering about. As he suspected, no one. He continued to look for a while but still nothing. He should have known this was a futile effort. The guy could come in at anytime, if he came back at all. Time to go home.

Tony walked out the section, ready to leave, but was frozen in position when he saw who was coming through the door. "Aw shit" He muttered, sliding out of view in a hurry.

The blond walked straight up to the section he'd just been searching and looked around. Great, he was here! Now Tony could sort the mess out and get on with his life. The only problem was, when he tried to go up to him, his body moved in slow-motion. What was going on? Tony wasn't one to get stage fright.

"Steve" A voice called out, making the blond look. 

"Hey Bucky" He responded. 

"What are you doing here? You don't usually come on a Thursday" Bucky smiled, patting the blond on the shoulder.

"I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll still come tomorrow for the Friday stuff. I just need to get out, you know?"

"Yeah I understand. Well it's good to see you anyway" Bucky waved as he walked away.

Tony managed to gather some courage and turned the corner to where the blond was standing. He crossed his arms as the guy looked up. 

"So, your name is Steve" Tony smiled, pretending to browse a little.

'Steve' sighed and looked back at the CD racks, "I didn't think you'd be here". 

"Are you saying you've been thinking about me?" Tony purred slightly.

Steve paused but answered, "For a moment".

"What kind of moment?" Tony teased. 

Steve put down the CD he was looking at and turned to look at Tony, "To answer your earlier question, yes my name is Steve and who might you be?".

"Tony"

"Well nice to meet you Tony, it's been a real pleasure" Steve sighed and Tony could hear the sarcastic undertone.

"Alright, I know I've been a jerk. I didn't mean it to seem that way before" Tony admitted, putting his hands up.

"Oh really? Well you're doing a good job of showing it" Steve frowned. 

"I'm not great in that area" Tony shrugged, surprised he was admitting it so openly.

"I can tell"

This made Tony pause, he wasn't getting anywhere. If he didn't fix this, it would surely drive him insane. 

"Look, I... I genuinely apologize for the misunderstanding. I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I'm sure your musical taste is just great" Tony spoke but then stopped. That wasn't meant to sound that way.

Steve just sighed disappointed, "Great meeting you Tony" and walked out the store.


	4. Start Fresh

Steve decided to go early today, so he would have time for other things he needed to buy. He probably wouldn't stay too long. He entered the store, smiling to the usual employees and going where he usually does. Flicking through the titles, it looked like there was nothing new this time. 

"Can I interest you in some handy deals?" A voice gently greeted opposite from Steve.

The blond looked up and saw a now familiar face smiling at him. 

"Or maybe you'd like to listen to some samples on the music point?" Tony smiled wryly.

Steve couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes, "Come to take another dig at me?".

He was surprised to see him, it had been a while. For a moment, he thought he'd given up.

"No actually, I..." Tony began but was interrupted by a loud voice.

"You hired him?!" Bucky shouted, looking at the manager.

"...work here" Tony finished. 

"You work here?" Steve asked, a little shock in his voice. 

"Yeah, I needed some money so I applied for one of the new jobs" Tony nodded. 

Steve looked a little annoyed, "So now I'm probably going to have to change one of my favourite stores".

"No, no. Listen Steve" Tony came around the rack to Steve's side, hands up to stop him walking away, "I know you're mad and I completely understand why. I just... really want you to understand how sorry I am".

Steve looked defensive but still spoke up, "Fine. I understand. No one would go this far if they didn't mean it".

"So...you'll forgive me?" Tony pouted.

Steve's cheek twitched into a small smile that he forced back straight, "I suppose so. But why were you so adamant on my forgiveness?".

Tony hesitated. He didn't exactly know the reason. "I don't like harming the innocents" He answered quickly. 

"What makes you think I'm innocent?" Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on. Look at you. Polite, gentlemanly. Slight skip in your step, The Chords in your head" Tony protested.

Steve chuckled, suddenly looking down at the floor.

"You couldn't be more innocent if you had daisies in your hair" Tony laughed.

Steve laughed too, nodding, "I guess I'm not very daring-looking".

"Steve" Bucky called out making his way over, "Is this guy bothering you?".

It was obvious he was looking for an excuse to go at Tony, Why he was trying to stand up for Steve in the first place was puzzling, the blond was way more muscular and probably taller.

Steve looked at Tony for a moment and then answered "No Bucky, it's fine. Tony was actually being quite helpful".

Bucky's jaw stiffened and he grumbled, "I'm watching you Stark".

Tony put his hands up in defeat and Bucky left them.

"So your name is Stark?" Steve noticed.

"Yeah, Tony Stark" Tony announced.

"Well Mr Stark , I'm Steve Rogers" Steve informed.


	5. Competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, finally another chapter added :) Sorry it took so long but I took a break from writing since I was feeling quite self-conscious to be brutally honest. I only wrote drabbles and made sure not to touch my multi-chapter fics because I didn't want to write something I would later regret. I uploaded one of the drabbles but the others are locked away safely in my notebook. Hopefully updates will become frequent again and hopefully you guys will still be interested in reading :) Thanks for sticking around <3

"And now he's cut my allowances by a large amount, hence the new job" Tony explained to Steve as he added some new stock onto the rack. 

He'd been telling Steve that he'd gotten a job here due to his father's new decisions.

"I see. I guess working under an employer must be new to an heir then" Steve assumed, watching Tony even though he was supposed to be looking at the CDs.

"I guess so, although I did work for my dad in the tower a little" Tony shrugged.

"Didn't last?" Steve smirked.

"Well, he claimed I was using up too much working space and not doing much work. I still say I was providing better insight than half the employees" Tony admitted.

"Oh I see. Insight, you call it" Steve nodded sarcastically but grinned.

"Well if I had my way, it'd be called a message from the gods but I don't think they'd let that slide" Tony informed and Steve chuckled. 

The two had been talking for a couple of weeks now so the blonde was used to his honest large ego.

"So tell me, what exactly brings a rather rich son to a small music store such as this? You said you like to invent things, why not do that online-thing?" Steve asked, turning back to the CDs in hand.

"That online-thing?" Tony raised an eyebrow, not believing he just said that.

"I'm not very good with computers and things" Steve shrugged.

"Well I don't _download_ for a few reasons. One of them being authenticity" Tony dropped the last CD in place.

Now it was time for Steve's eyebrow to raise.

"Authenticity?" Steve repeated, surprised. 

"Yeah, not like I can't afford it. There's things you miss out on when you don't get the CD. Like cover art secrets and messages etc. Plus a CD or the vinyl is a little...retro" Tony spoke painly.

Steve crossed his arms with a smirk, "Retro? So you admit you like retro".

"Hey, when your mind is constantly in the future..." Tony started and paused before finishing, "it's nice to have a little retro".

Steve snickered and made his way toward the counter, "Could you beep these through for me?".

"Yeah sure" Tony followed him, quickly changing the subject.

The tills were empty, which was a little odd, so he pushed a button under the counter which rang the bell in the staff area. He took Steve's CDs and scanned each one, ringing them up and taking his money. Eventually, Nick came out and went up to them, signing in on the second till.

"Nice to seeing you working Mr Stark" He spoke in his usual tone.

"Hey, I do the work" Tony protested, not very enthusiastically.

"Sure" Nick nodded, "when your friend's here".

He gestured toward Steve who gave them an interested look. Tony coughed a little.

"Oh really?" Steve asked in a mock-intrigued tone.

"At least you're getting on now. I'd be annoyed if we lost a valuable customer" It almost seemed like a warning to the Stark. 

"Right" Tony sighed, bagging up the CDs and giving them over to Steve.

"Speaking of friends, Bucky wants to speak to you" Nick gestured behind him. 

"Oh god" Tony mumbled.

"Tell him I say hi" Steve smiled as he walked away.

Tony headed into the back and found Bucky filing some papers. 

"Heard from the big man you had something to say" Tony piped up.

"Yeah I do. More like ask a question" Bucky annouced, not turning around.

"Well fire away canons" Tony responded, starting to pour himself a cup of coffee from the still warm container, even though he wasn't on his break yet. Bucky did nothing about it.

He finally turned, one hand still holding a folder, "What's your game?".

"Game?" Tony repeated, taking a small sip, "Never pass up a round of monopoly".

"Quit with the wisecracks Stark and answer the question" Bucky sighed.

"I would if I knew what the hell you were talking about" Tony took another sip while Bucky spoke again.

"I mean, what are you trying to achieve? With Steve?" Bucky explained.

"Oh I see. Why? Am I stealing your boyfriend?" Tony pouted a little, mockingly.

"Steve and I have been friends for a while now" Bucky retaliated.

Tony shrugged and Bucky added, "And I have a girlfriend thank you very much".

"But does he?" Tony had to contain his inner smirk.

"I swear to god Tony" Bucky started.

"Alright, alright I get it" Tony put his hands up to surrender, "and I'm not trying to achieve anything. There was a misunderstanding, I resolved it and turns out we actually get on".

"I don't understand how, you two are like opposite sides of a coin" Bucky teased.

"What does it matter when both sides are going down the same machine hole?" Tony responded.

Nick came in before Bucky could say anything, "Where's Barton? We need more at the tills".

"Did you check his nest?" Tony took another sip.

Nick didn't answer but started to leave, pretty much revealing the answer. There was a moment before he returned, "If you two are quite finished, I need you back on the floor Stark. And put that coffee down".

He left again and Tony followed him a second later, cutting his conversation with Bucky short. No doubt if there was anything else he wanted to say, the guy would approach him later. They worked until closing time and shut the store up. Manager Fury called everyone into the staff room, before they all left, with an announcement.

"Now I've noticed, not everyone is putting in all their effort. Also noticed a bit of tension going around. Well this event will hopefully stop that" He informed.

Everyone looked around a little but continued to listen.

"We'll be hosting a competition. This competition will be held over a series of rounds, one round a week. The difference is, this competition will be won by a team and not a single entry. The team will consist of one customer and one employee".

This earned some mumbles between them. Tony narrowed his eyes a little, intrigued.

"Since there's only 11 employees, we'll only be accepting 11 entries. It's going to work on a first-come-first-serve basis. I know some of you may not be interested in taking part but you should know..." Nick began and left a small pause to get their attention. He began to smirk just a little, "The prize for the employee of the winning team...is not only cash...but a promotion to Vice Management".

The mumbles soon turned into chatter. Tony couldn't help himself from glancing over at Bucky who was looking at him. There was a mischievous smile on his face, and Tony knew all too well it meant he wanted that prize. Vice management meant you'd basically be in charge of everyone except Fury himself and you'd have a hand in some of the important decisions. If Bucky had that, Tony's life was probably going to become a misery at work. He couldn't let that happen, surely.

"So..." Nick called out, making everyone quiet down to a hush, "will anyone not be participating? Speak now".

No one responded. 

"Perfect. In that case, don't forget to tell the regulars. See you all in work" Nick walked out and eventually everyone followed out. 

Bucky gave Tony a last smile, before leaving himself. Tony sighed, he couldn't let Bucky get that position. He'd have to make sure his team won.


	6. Pair up

Posters had been put up around the store, informing the customers of the upcoming competition. Some had already entered, others saying they'd think about it. It was mainly regulars just like Fury wanted.

Tony was re-organising some of the stock that had been put on the wrong shelf or sometimes even the wrong section entirely. He wasn't feeling all that into work today for a reason he wasn't sure of. His mind was just a little...distracted. Bucky was working at the tills, minding his own business. He didn't have any smart comment or nit-pick which was good. It meant Tony didn't have to sort him out.

A regular blonde stepped inside the store with his usual smile. Tony saw him come in and noticed a smile arise slightly. What was that about? And why was Steve here? He didn't usually come so soon since his last visit.

He went straight to the till and Bucky saw him, "Hey Steve. Surprised to see you here".

"Hey Bucky. I came to return this disc, it's too scratched to play" Steve smiled, handing him the CD.

"No problem, I'll go swap it" Bucky walked around the counter and toward the vintage section. 

Steve stood there for a minute, before looking around unconsciously. He saw Tony picking up some CDs and placing them in different slots. 

He smiled, "Hey Tony".

Tony looked up and nodded, "Sup Steve".

"Store's a little empty today" Steve mentioned.

"Yeah, I don't know why. Maybe cause it's only Thursday" Tony murmured, answering a little generically.

Bucky soon came back, fresh CD in hand. He beeped it through the till and got Steve to sign a return and exchange.

While he was filling it in, Bucky piped up, "Have you seen the posters? There's a competition coming up".

"Oh yeah, I saw one but I didn't have chance to read it. What's the competition?" Steve responded, finally standing and giving Bucky the pen back.

"It's called The Mix. It's about combining two genres" Bucky explained, then he paused, "It's only open to 11 customers because they'll be teamed up with an employee".

"Oh? Well, that's new" Steve nodded, "Nice idea".

"Yeah" Bucky agreed, "So you thinking of signing up? Fury wanted us to ask the regulars. It takes place in rounds so you earn points, type of thing".

"Hm, sounds interesting. Alright, why not. Sign me up" Steve smiled.

"Sweet" Bucky smiled back, getting the sign-up paper, "We'll be the best team".

"I'll do my best" Steve shrugged, filling out a long form this time. 

Tony had over-heard their conversation and couldn't help but think how typical 'Steve' that sounded.

"Are all the employees in the competition?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, I think so" Bucky confirmed.

"Alright, sounds like fun actually" Steve nodded, "Right, well I'll return soon".

"Later Steve" Bucky parted.

"See you Tony" Steve waved as he headed to the door.

Tony just smiled as he went past and out. So Bucky was teaming up with Steve, huh. No surprise there. Actually, this made Tony realize he knew practically no regulars except for one girl called Natasha who came in from time to time. She intrigued him and it spurred conversation between them, but nothing on a greatly friendly level. Who was he supposed to team up with?

Turns out he would soon find out. 

After a week, the competition sign-ups were closed and the 11 participants were called into the store for the first announcement. The store was a little busy today since there had been large signs telling the public the competition started today.

"Alright, let's get this started. Thank you for coming and thanks to all who decided to participate. I have hopes that this will be an enjoyable experience for all. First I'll read out who has been paired up and then what your first round will consist of" Nick announced from a small stage that had been set-up for the competition.

There were some cheers and some laughs, but some faces of both employees and participants, looked confused. Tony's eyebrow hitched up slightly since he had no idea the teams would be picked for them. He wondered who he'd be stuck with. Nick coughed and read out each team from 1-4, coming up to team 5.

"Alright, Team 5 will consist of...Tony Stark..." He began and Tony's ears perked up.

"And..." Nick continued, giving a small pause, "Steve Rogers".


	7. Well how about that?

Steve's eyes widened slightly as his name was called out. He looked around and saw they weren't as wide as Tony's. He came to attention and gave a smile to his new team-mate. 

Tony realised he wasn't moving and came back down to earth by flashing Steve a nonchalant smile and a thumbs up. Of all the people he would get, Steve was the one to come through. Not too long ago, they'd been subtle enemies. Sure they were friends _now_ , but this meant they'd have to get closer and maybe even become best friends. After thinking about it, Tony realised that didn't really bother him...at all. 

But he knew who it _would_ bother.

He turned his head to peer at Bucky who was staring with narrowed eyes. Tony looked away and whistled to himself. _Oh dear_.

Nick called out the names of Team 6 and moved onto Team 7, "Team 7 will consist of, James Barnes...and James Rhodes".

 _No way_.

Tony's head snapped straight to Bucky who looked surprised but then starting grinning at him. He walked up to Rhodey and gave him a friendly slap on the back. Tony realised what he was doing.

 _Oh wow, paired with Rhodey? Gosh, would you look at that. Wait, isn't he your good friend, Tony? Well, you got paired with Steve so I guess it all works out huh?_.

The mocking voice of Bucky in his mind made him roll his eyes in real life. Rhodey had been friends with Tony since they were teens, but they didn't see each other for years since Rhodey decided to enroll in military school. He heard about the store's new build and in an subconscious visit, found Tony worked there. He came back regularly and they caught up on the missing years, also making him a regular customer and an entry in the competition. Once all the teams were read out, Nick turned to another sheet of paper and gave a new announcement.

"Now all the teams have been formed, it's time to present the rules and first round. Rule number one, is that all work submitted must be from the two participants. Only assistance is allowed, nothing purely created by someone else. Rule number two: Entries can consist of any form but note that they will be cut down if needed and must relate to music. Also, please keep them at an age rating no older than teenage. Rule Three, all entries must be in by the deadline specified. There will be no extensions, unless the participants can give an appropriate exception. The outcome will be from the judges." He informed and then looked to the audience, "Alright, let's get to it. The theme for round one is...The Future".


End file.
